Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

Following reports of elevated lead levels in drinking water at schools in Ithaca and Binghamton, one local school district is going to conduct water tests and some other districts plan to follow suit.

All of the schools within the Corning-Painted Post School District are on municipal water systems, which are tested regularly for lead and other contaminants, according to district Superintendent Michael Ginalski.

However, the school district has never tested the water at drinking fountains, sinks and other locations in the schools where students and staff have access, Ginalski said.

Given what's happening in places such as Ithaca — where high concentrations of lead have been found in the water at 10 schools that were on municipal water and on well systems — Corning decided to be proactive, he said.

"Although we are not required to do this, we just feel it’s the proper step to take to ensure the water we’re providing to our children and staff is truly safe, and that we can communicate that accurately and honestly to all stakeholders," Ginalski said.

"It is also a great time to do this from a planning standpoint, because we are starting construction this spring on our elementary facilities, and if we have to make changes to drinking fountains, faucets, etc., it’s preferable to know that prior to the start of construction."

The Corning-Painted Post district will test according to Environmental Protection Agency protocols and will sample every outlet that would likely be used for drinking water, along with one sample where the supply enters the building, Ginalski said.

Sampling will be done by a safety and health specialist from Greater Southern Tier BOCES, and the samples will be sent to Microbac Labs in Sayre, Pennsylvania, for analysis, he said.

Most schools in Chemung County are also on municipal water systems, which are checked for lead regularly by the system operators.

An exception is Pine City Elementary School, which is on a well.

Routine water testing is conducted at that school, most recently in September, with no issues found, according to Elmira City School District spokeswoman Kathleen McDarby.

Fixtures changed

While schools are not required to test the water within their own buildings, the Chemung County Health Department did sample water supplies at local schools in 2005, 2006 and 2007 as part of an EPA initiative.

That testing turned up problems with some fixtures in Elmira schools. Those fixtures were replaced with ones that met all EPA standards for lead, according to the Elmira school district health and safety team.

That study also found issues with fixtures in Horseheads schools, according to Susan Pirozzolo, spokeswoman for the Horseheads Central School District.

Those issues were addressed immediately, Pirozzolo said. All schools in the district get water from municipal systems in Horseheads and Big Flats, which provide periodic updates regarding lead, she said.

The Elmira Heights School District is supplied by the Elmira Water Board, and district Superintendent Mary Beth Fiore said she is not aware of any issues with lead.

Tests planned

Mike Coghlan, who is facilities director for the Horseheads and Elmira Heights school districts, said even though issues identified by past testing were corrected, there are plans for more internal water monitoring in the future.

"We recently have talked about going to the next step and being proactive. We’ll pick times to test it," Coghlan said. "We want to be sure. We’ll be doing some spot checking. I feel real comfortable on what we’ve done. Both districts I’m with will be doing some testing. There's no time frame."

The Elmira City School District didn't indicate whether it would do any future testing of water systems within school buildings, but the district will follow any recommendations set forth by the EPA, the Chemung County Health Department, and its own health and safety team, McDarby said.

While there are no rules in New York that require school districts to test their water if they are on municipal systems, that could change given recent concerns, said Lindsey Brown, senior environmental health specialist with the Chemung County Health Department.

Old houses are a more likely source of lead contamination than schools, Brown said, but even if testing isn't mandatory, it is probably a good idea for school districts to conduct periodic checks anyway, he said.

"There are always traces of lead in old plumbing. Exposure to lead is most likely at home," Brown said. "I doubt schools are a significant source of lead, but we do have a lot of old housing, built before 1984, when they banned lead paint. But I would agree it’s a good idea (for schools to test) at least every 10 years."